Contents
What research is currently being conducted on new and innovative ecologically friendly ectoparasite control methods?
Ectoparasites can have a significant economic impact on livestock production. They may cause direct losses due to animal deaths, reduce fertility or milk yields and make livestock uncomfortable or unproductive. They can also cause indirect losses by decreasing carcass weight, tenderness and quality of meat, spoilage of animal products, disease transmission and costs of control measures.
What are Ectoparasites?
An ectoparasite is any parasite that lives on the surface of their host organism. Such parasites can be insects, mites, ticks, and lice. This type of pest often causes economic losses, especially in the livestock industry. Examples of ectoparasites include ticks, lice, mites and other external parasites, who feed on their host animal’s blood and skin.
The Economic Impact of Ectoparasites on Livestock
Ectoparasites can lead to a number of direct and indirect losses for livestock producers. These include losses in production, health risks, and treatment or control costs.
Direct Losses
Direct losses from ectoparasites are often related to losses in production, such as decreased milk production in dairy cattle or reduced growth and carcase weight in beef cattle. In addition, they can cause decreased fertility and lowered reproduction rates in livestock and other animals.
Indirect Losses
The economic impact of ectoparasites also includes indirect losses, such as disease transmission, expense of control measures and spoilage of animal products. Pests can spread diseases such as tick fever, which can be fatal to livestock and other animals, as well as to humans. Controlling ectoparasites can be costly, and the contamination of animal products due to ectoparasites can result in additional expenses in marketing, loss of product value, and penalties from regulatory agencies.
Preventing and Controlling Ectoparasites
The best way to protect against ectoparasites is through preventive techniques such as hygiene, pasturing and animal rotation, pasture maintenance and quarantine, vaccination, and use of drugs for infestation control. In addition, producers are encouraged to monitor the presence of ectoparasites on their animals regularly and look for signs of infestation. As such, it is important for producers to have an understanding of the economic impact of ectoparasites on their livestock and of the various measures they can take to protect their animals.
